In the field of aeronautics, it is important to predictably and effectively dissipate static and other incidental electrical charges away from critical aircraft and vehicular components, including electronics, fuel tanks, etc. These components are typically coated with paints that can provide a number of important functions, such as, for example, protection from corrosion and other forms of environmental degradation, overcoat or sealant adhesion, abrasion resistance, appearance, etc. The paint coatings are often electrically insulative, resulting in an impediment to the dissipation of static and other electrical charges. The need for static dissipation is increasingly important as aircraft manufacture continues to incorporate non-metallic materials (such as composites, plastics, etc.) that do not dissipate static charges predictably across their surfaces.
Conductive coatings for such non-metallic materials to dissipate static charges have been tried with varying success. However, the known conductive coatings must be loaded with conductive particles to such an extent (sometimes as much as 50-70 weight percent) that other required coating characteristics suffer.